


Birthday Surprise

by OfMonstersAndWerewolves



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, but brief mentions of Alice's mental health struggles, takes place after 7x22
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-14 01:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14760449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OfMonstersAndWerewolves/pseuds/OfMonstersAndWerewolves
Summary: It's Alice's birthday and Robin's got something up her sleeve.





	Birthday Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this way before the finale but I have tried to have it make sense in the new context of the united realms as best as I can. Really wanted to add in a certain character from the story of Alice in Wonderland and make it really cute so here it is. Also Robin hasn't proposed yet. Again constructive criticism is welcome as this is only my second fanfiction. Hope you enjoy.

A gentle breeze was brushing against the side of Robin’s face as she quickly wandered back into her and Alice’s cabin. She placed the contents of her arms on the sofa, made sure that the door was locked properly behind her and quietly began sorting through each item, all the while keeping an eye on the basket beside her. It didn’t take long and once she had done, the items were taken upstairs and placed in their new, rightful place. She quickly came back down, checked the contents of the basket again and looked at the scene in front of her. 

“Right, ok.” She sighed and glanced at the clock. “They should be back soon”

Carefully picking up the basket so as not to disturb its contents, Robin Mills walked up the stairs to nervously await her girlfriend’s arrival.

* * *

 

At this very moment, strolling along on their journey from Storybrooke to the small cottage, two figures were jauntily teasing each other about, oh, this and that. Laughing about embarrassing stories and voicing words of encouragement and cautious warnings, all in an attempt to make up for lost time. Ever since the curse had been broken and Hook’s cursed heart had been replaced, both he and his daughter had spent time trying to make up for some of the things they’d missed. 

“I would have won that last match had I not sneezed and lost concentration.”

“Aye love, I’m sure you would have. You did beat everyone but me after all. Your swordplay’s come a long way, Starfish, no doubt thanks to a brilliantly talented teacher showing you the ropes.”

“Well, Ella **has** found time to teach me on occasions”

“Oh, really?!” Alice nudged her papa in the side for his mock incredulity. “Not Henry though?”

“Nope.” 

“Aye, well his swordsmanship does leave a lot to be desired.”

There was a brief pause. “Although he’s not quite as bad as his cousin”

“I’ll tell her you said that”

Alice shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “She knows”

Alice briefly managed to stop teasing her papa to wonder to herself, not for the first time that day, what her girlfriend had up her sleeve. This year Alice had decided she had wanted to have a slightly quieter birthday than usual which, considering her other birthdays, had come as a bit of a surprise to a few people (least of all herself), but she had still wanted to see people and had therefore planned a get together at Granny’s Diner for the day with her father and various other individuals. In the end it hadn’t ended up as quiet as she had intended.

Robin had initially agreed but, out of the blue about a week ago, had told her she’d have to leave about halfway through. Her reasoning, once she’d got it out of her, had made little sense. Apparently, she needed to go back to a town they’d visited not too long ago, one where they’d sheltered in an inn. They’d been having one of their adventures in some far-off realm and had been chased through the portal they’d used to travel back, only narrowly avoiding their pursuers grasp. They had arrived at the inn, looking like they’d just been dragged through a hedge backwards, and the innkeepers had given them a room. Since then she’d teased Robin a few times about how spooked she’d been when she had been woken up by the owner’s cat the following morning. But why on earth Robin had to go back there she had no clue. She didn’t think there was anything in particular they needed at the house, anything they were low on, as they’d only recently gone to the market nearby. And why that particular town? She knew Robin was hiding something, but she trusted her, and so her love had left early from the party, as she had said she would, telling her she would see her once Alice came back to the house and asking Alice to text her when she was on her way.

And here she was walking to her home that she shared with her true love. And her excitement was building.

* * *

 

From the bedroom window, Robin glanced out to see Alice and Nook walking towards the house, chatting away about who knows what. As they approached, her face softened, a small smile presenting itself as she saw the happiness expressed on her lover’s face. After all Alice had been through, all the loneliness and heartache she’d had to endure, through each bad day of hers, despite all that she had triumphed and survived. Defeated her own mother, saved realms, seen her father’s cursed heart fixed. And now a happy new beginning. Their happy beginning, where Alice could spend much needed time with her father and where true love shone through. She’d still occasionally have bad days, but Robin was always there to support her through them, as she promised.

Once they’d reached the porch, the archer went downstairs, being careful to shut the bedroom door quietly behind her, and opened the front door, leaning on the door frame as Alice said her goodbyes to her father. Despite her nervousness, she was sure her love was going to adore her gift.

“I’ll leave you two be, Starfish.”

“Bye, Papa” Her father sauntered off as Alice moved towards Robin on the porch, grinning wildly at the archer as she approached. “There you are, Nobin, wandering off in the middle of the party. I need that explanation now”. She gave her a quick kiss.

“So, you mentioned in that text those beignets went down well?”

“They’d all gone before we even went to the Enchanted Forest for the competition. And don’t change the subject.” 

“I would have loved to have seen that sneeze! And I’m getting to it”. Alice shook her head and sauntered passed her to enter the house and immediately saw the cake on the table, her name and birthday wishes adorning the icing which had been haphazardly strewn across the top of the cake in an unsuccessful attempt to create a pattern. Mr Rabbit sat beside it, with a card addressed to ‘My Love’ resting in his arms. “Thanks Robin.” Alice opened the birthday card, read it and smiled another thank you back at her girlfriend, a smile that always lifted Robin’s heart every time she saw it. “And even the icing has improved a little since last time” Her grin became wild. “But this doesn’t explain why you had to go back to that town so what, Robin Mills, have you been up to?”

“First, you need to sit down”

Alice did as she was told and sat down on the sofa beside the window and glanced back up at her girlfriend, reaching out to hold Robin’s hands in hers.

“Right, I’m sat down now so… can you please tell me what this is about?!”

“Ok, wait one second while I go get something.” She made to move away from Alice but briefly turned around again. “But you need to close your eyes. And no peeping!”

Alice tilted her head to the side at her in response but then sat back, covered her eyes and waited, not particularly patiently, for Robin to come back. She didn’t take too long though and before she knew it she was hearing her lover’s footsteps on the floorboards once again as she entered back into the room. What was odd though was that she also seemed to sense another presence with her. And so, she slowly and secretly peeked through her fingers and looked in the direction of the door. This was followed by her dropping her hands away completely to marvel at the surprise. 

“I knew you’d cheat. Happy Birthday, my love”

In Robin’s arms was a small black and white kitten which was currently inquisitively staring at Alice, who stared back, a smile beaming from her face.

“Got to introduce her carefully ‘cause I don’t want her freaking out and launching herself off me to run off”. She’d expected a response from that. Something questioning how she could possibly be wary getting scratched by a cat when they’d got in more scrapes on their adventures. But Alice was still staring at the kitten in silent awe, with such a loving gaze that Robin couldn’t help but momentarily stop and admire it. She started to move slowly forward, the kitten still curiously watching Alice, and managed to lower herself and kneel down in front of her. She could feel the kitten tense a little as she held her, so she stroked her fur in an attempt to assure her she was safe. Alice carefully reached over and let the cat sniff at her hand to get a scent, before scratching the kitten behind the ear. Robin so rarely saw Alice as speechless as she was now, but eventually the awestruck blonde was able to find her words again.

“She’s beautiful” was her only comment. 

“Yeah she is”

Robin then proceeded to readjust her position and carefully placed the kitten on her girlfriend’s lap. Alice felt the pressure of the little kitten’s weight, as light as she was, as she was placed down, and she found herself wanting to protect the young creature as though her life depended on it, Robin having had a similar experience when she’d first gone down to collect her.

“So, you know that cat that totally didn’t freak me out back when we stayed in that inn? Well, turns out she was expecting kittens. I met the innkeeper again when I went out hunting the other day and he told me about them, and how he was going to sell them when they were old enough to leave their mother.” 

She reached out to stroke the kitten’s back who’d laid down on Alice’s lap and was currently enjoying being fussed over by her. Her next words were soft and gentle.

“I remembered the way you’d picked her mother up after she woke me up that morning at the inn. The way you talked to her. Cuddled her. Comforted her. The way you didn’t want to let her go. Not gonna lie, I was feeling a little jealous.”

Alice raised an eyebrow towards her at that. 

“But I could see it in your eyes how much you wanted it. This little one was called Dinah by his son, but we don’t have to keep that name if we don’t want to-.”

“Dinah.” She pondered the name for a brief few moments, testing it on her tongue. “I like it.” She looked back down at the kitten who was now grooming herself. “Oh, Robin she’s perfect! I love her already! Wait, have you already got everything for her, like a bed? Is that why you wouldn’t let me in the shed the other day?! Oh, I thought you’d broken something. Again.”

Robin guiltily rose up and sat down beside her on the sofa. “Yeah, well I didn’t want you spoiling the surprise.”

“That was one time! Anyway, Papa apologised afterwards. As did your mum” 

They looked down at Dinah to find she’d stopped washing herself and was snuggling herself up in a ball on Alice’s lap, one paw outstretched to rest on Robin’s leg.

“I can’t believe you’ve done this for me.”

“After all this time you still doubt how much I care for you. But I do, so much Alice.” Tears were beginning to form in her eyes as she stared in Alice’s own, which were becoming misty-eyed themselves.

Alice shook her head. “It’s not you. I know I’m loved, I know you care so much. But the doubt, that worry. That everything’s going to be taken away from me. That fear of being lonely again, like something’s going to happen and I’ll be all alone. It never goes away completely.” Her breath caught. “Every moment with you is perfect.”

“And you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Tower Girl”. Robin moved a hand to reach behind Alice’s ear, through her hair, like she did all those years ago in that cell when they first met, and left it to rest on her cheek. “I love you”

She leaned in closer, careful not to disturb the kitten between them. 

“I love you too… Nobin.”

The subtlest of smiles on her face, Alice closed the gap between the two of them, their kiss speaking a thousand words. In that moment they were the only living beings in the realm, the soft comfort and warmth of the other an assurance of their love and commitment.

“And anyway, how on earth could I say no to such an adorable face”

Alice smiled then pondered aloud, “wait, do you mean me or Dinah?”

Robin grinned at that and Alice stifled a giggle to prevent disturbing the now sleeping Dinah. As their lips met once more, Alice’s thoughts pondered how she could have gotten so lucky to have found Robin all those years ago. And how her wish had come true.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I really wanted to introduce Dinah and I do intend on including her in further fanfics. Also I did realise, just before uploading, that Robin could have put her in an actual cat carrier as opposed to a basket now that they can more easily access Storybrooke but I'm happy enough as it is. 
> 
> Just a few notes on the fic: I like to think that since the United Realms will be huge, that Alice still uses her looking glass to summon portals to quickly transport her places that are far away and I also headcanon that Robin's not very good with a sword at all, but Alice is.


End file.
